


After the Ga

by Sabishiioni



Series: War of the Gods [1]
Category: Being Human (UK), The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, M/M, Sickness, Worried Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-16
Updated: 2014-08-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 08:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2144745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabishiioni/pseuds/Sabishiioni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he thinks that all is lost, Anders Johnson’s one hope lies with the Irish vampire he sent back to Bristol.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After the Ga

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Almighty Johnsons, Being Human  
> Warnings: Read them (Even the ones in bold, please)  
> Follow Me:[Tumblr](http://sabishiioni.tumblr.com/)  
> Follow PI: [Tumblr](http://projectinsanitywriting.tumblr.com/)  
> Mindless Babble: Part one of a trilogy.

“George?” The tall brunet asked as he came into the kitchen. “Why is there some blond bloke asleep on our couch?”

“Oh! It was a really weird thing,” his flatmate replied, setting down his spoon. “I was coming home from doing the shopping when I saw this guy being picked on by some vampires. It was so…I don’t know, like déjà vu, that I had to help him. So I managed to chase the vampires off but he was hurt pretty bad. So I brought him here.”

“You think it’s safe?”

“Yeah- there’s something about him…I can’t really put my finger on it.” His expression turned stony and he paused for a few moments, trying to tactfully say what he needed to. “Mitch? He has scars… like he’s been feed on before.”

The vampire glanced back at the couch, his expression darkening. “Not many survive a feeding.”

“Yeah, well, it looks like this one has survived multiple feedings.”

Both eyebrows arched as Mitchell took a step towards the passed out man. He stopped as the feeling flooded his body- the feeling that he needed to protect this stranger. The feeling that this man wasn’t a stranger. He snapped his head around when he heard George laughing. 

“See? You sense it too-like we should know him or something.”

Mitchel returned his gaze to the lump. He didn’t correct his friend, but he knew what he was feeling was so much stronger. Shaking his head with a sigh, he turned away. 

“We’ll ask him tomorrow. I’m going to go to bed. Way too much blood to clean up last night.”

George stood up. “Are you going to be alright?”

“Yeah, I just need some sleep.” He gave his flatmate a wave before heading up to his room. He stripped and flopped down on his bed, yet sleep did not come easily. After tossing and turning for over an hour he finally managed to doze off. His dreams were haunted by blue eyes belonging to someone he knew but couldn’t remember, even though his heart felt it was important that he should.

***  
Anders folded the blanket, setting it on the couch. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, lighting the clouds that were gathering and it was time for him to leave. He gently placed the pillow on top of the folded blanket before he reached down to pick up his beat-up backpack. He took a last look around the home of his boyfriend. Former boyfriend, he silently corrected himself. This was a good place, filled with love and friendship. Mitchell would do well here.

Choking back a sob, he started for the door. A soft female voice stopped him before he reached it.

“So, you’re just going to leave? Is that it?”

Anders turned around to face the lovely, young ghost. “I don’t belong here, Annie.”

“How do you know my name?” she asked with a scowl. Then she blinked. “Wait…you’re…you’re Anders, the bloke from Australia. The one who’s a god…”

“New Zealand, actually.” Anders chuckled softly. “I figured you would be the one to remember me.”

“But…why did I forget you?”

“I’m not a god anymore,” the Kiwi responded with a shrug, trying so very hard not to let the words hurt him. “Mortals forget the vessels when the god spirit is gone.”

Annie just looked even more confused. “But…how are you not a god anymore?”

“Odin and Frigg were reunited and the gods returned to Asgard.”

“Is…is that why Mitchell came back?”

Anders actually stumbled as the force of the memory only he had crashed through him. “Y…yes. I…I didn’t want him…I didn’t want him to be alone…if…when he forgot me.”

The ghost was suddenly by his side, wrapping her arms around him. “Anders…I’m so sorry. But I’m sure if you tell him-“

Shaking his head, Anders wiped a sleeve over his eyes. “No, it’s better this way. He’s happy, surrounded by people he loves.”

“But he’ll be missing the one he loves the most.”

A soft sob wracked the thin frame. The Ga had been over two months ago. In that time, Anders had lost everything- his business, his few friends and his family. He had spent the last of his money on a one way plane ticket to England with the desperate hope that the vampire who held his heart would remember him. That hope lay at his feet now, shattered into a thousand pieces.

“N…no…he’ll find someone else. Maybe he’ll even find someone who loves him just as much as I do.” He reluctantly pulled away from Annie. “Wo-would you thank them for letting me spend the night? It was nice to be warm again.”

“Why not thank them yourself?” She held onto his hand, trying to blink back her own tears.

Anders shook his head. “I’m not…strong enough. If I see him again, I know I’ll break down and beg him to take me back and that could end really badly.” He forced a smile.

Annie swallowed, watching the blond with concern filled eyes. “Where will you go?”

Anders waited until he was outside before he responded. “Maybe…maybe it’s time I find my own door.”

***  
“Morning…” 

Annie glanced up from the now cold cup of tea she had made to comfort herself. George made his way over to the kettle to make himself some actual hot tea while Mitchell shuffled over to the fridge to get his cereal. The ghost couldn’t help but to notice how tired the vampire looked. 

“Where’s our houseguest?” George asked, glancing into the living room.

“He left about an hour ago.”

“Hm, too bad. I didn’t even get a chance to ask him his name.”

Annie blinked back her tears. “His name was Anders. Anders Johnson.”

She and George jumped as a bowl crashed to the floor. Mitchell stared off into space as if struggling to remember something. “Anders…”

Hope lit Annie’s eyes. “Yes- he came here from New Zealand…”

“New…” Now George was frozen in shock as memories started to come back to him as well.

Mitchell spun around to face the ghost. “How long ago did you say he left?”

“A little over an hour…” 

The vampire glanced at George who nodded. “It’s close to the full moon; I should be able to track him by scent!”

The three grinned as they started for the door. A sudden clap of thunder stopped them. Three sets of eyes turned in horror to the kitchen window, watching the sudden downpour hit the glass pane.

“He… He couldn’t have gotten that far…” Annie said softly. “I mean, he was still injured.”

Mitchell cursed under his breath, looking for his jacket. “This is why I didn’t want to come back here!”

“You knew this would happen?” 

Sighing at the ghost’s question, he nodded. “Yeah, but I thought…I thought I would remember him, no matter what.”

“I don’t get it- why did we forget him in the first place? I mean he was obnoxious enough for it to be hard to not remember him.” George scowled as he glared at the rain.

“He said that Odin found his Frigg and they returned to Asgard,” Annie answered, finally just shoving the bundle of leather at the vampire. “Here! Go find him! And hurry!”

Mitchell spared her a worried glance. “Is there something I should know about?”

Annie worried her lip. “He…he said he was going to go look for his door…”

Dark eyes widened as the fear sank in. The he turned and vanished into the rain drenched city.

***  
One week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty eight hours. Ten thousand and eighty minutes.

That was how long Anders had been missing. 

That was how long it had been since Mitchell had slept.

Annie watched as George tried to get the over caffeinated vampire to eat some real food. It wasn’t working but the werewolf was giving a convincing argument- one that might have had better reception if it had been given to a wall. Dark eyes were glued to a map spread out on the coffee table.

“Mitchell, you need to eat. It won’t do either one of you any good if you collapse in the middle of the street before you find Anders!”

The name seemed to break the trace Mitchell had been in. He lifted his head, his friends realizing how far gone he was. Shaded half-moons made the brown eyes appear darker that they truly were. Skin that usually glowed unnaturally was as pale as the death that should have been the vampire’s. The slender body trembled in a way that wasn’t entirely due to the caffeine flooding the sluggishly moving blood in the man’s system. 

The rain hadn’t really let up much that week. There were places in the city that were actually flooding. Of course this made Mitchell fear the worst, especially with the way Annie had described how thin Anders had been the night he spent in their flat. 

Mitchell was about to reply when there was a soft knocking on the door. All three of them jumped, Annie laughing softly at the memory of the last time such a simple thing had startled them. She waved them to stay where they were and walked over to open the door.

“Hey…could…would it be alright…if I just stayed here…just one more night?”

Annie gasped, reaching out to the blond as a wet sounding cough knocked him off his feet. “Anders!”

Suddenly, Mitchell was there, cradling the smaller man and pulling him inside. “It’s alright, Babe…I’ve got you…”

Pale blue eyes peered up at his rescuer, as tears streamed down dirty cheeks. “M…Mitch…?”

“Yeah, I’m here- Anders! Come on- stay awake for me…Anders? Anders!”

Annie covered her mouth in terror as the body in Mitchell’s arms suddenly went limp. She was vaguely aware of George calling for an ambulance but all of her focus was on the pair that huddled on the floor. She had never seen her friend look so distressed, even when he staked Lauren.

“Baby...please- wake up…”

***  
The first thing Anders heard was the steady beeping of a heart monitor although it was the next thing he became aware of that brought him fully awake. The soft words were spoken with such desperation; the Gaelic lilt became even heavier than it normally would have been.

“Please babe, wake up! I’m so sorry- I shouldn’t have forgotten you. I love you, Anders please…wake up…please…”

His lips curling up at the edges, he gently squeezed the hand that ever so very carefully held his. He was rewarded with such an expression of astonished delight, a soft laugh actually passed his lips. He ran a thumb over the knuckles of the others hand.

“Hey…”

“Hey, yourself,” Mitchell replied, tears running unabashedly down his cheeks. “How are you feeling?”

Anders thought about it for a few moments. “Clean… and tired.”

Mitchell let out a sob of laughter. “You’ve been out for four days. After you collapsed, George called for an ambulance. You were just about dead from pneumonia compounded by starvation.”

A blond eyebrow arched in surprise. “Really? I…I thought… I thought it was just a chest cold…”

“It might have started out as one…” Mitchell wiped his eyes before moving to fluff the pillow under his lovers head. A boney hand caught his wrist.

“Mitch…John, it’s alright- I’m here and alive.”

“But you almost died! Annie said you were even looking for it!”

Anders flinched but didn’t let go. “Yeah, I did think about killing myself. I didn’t have anything after I realized you had forgotten me too.”

“What about your family? Your grandfather and brothers?”

At that, Anders snatched back his hand, going to hug himself. “Bragi is gone. They never had a use for Anders. No one ever did…”

Mitchell reached out and gently pulled back the hand. “I did. When Annie said your name after you left that morning, it was like a tidal wave hitting me. I remembered your laugh, the way your eyes would go dark when you were upset, the way you doted on your fish…the way your fingers felt brushing against my skin…the way your lips tasted…

“And in that moment, I have never hated myself more. I forgot you even though I swore I wouldn’t. I should have stayed with you. I know I would’ve remembered you!”

“I…I didn’t want to take that risk. You would have been in a county you didn’t know, surrounded by strangers. One of them claiming to be your lover even though you had never taken a male before. There would have been no Bragi for you to see. You might not have ever remembered.”

“But I did! And it was almost too late! What if you had died and I never found you?” Brown eyes flooded with tears, as Mitchell lowered his head to bring Anders’ hand to his forehead. “Gods, I love you Anders. I don’t want to ever lose you again!”

The blond smiled as he tugged their joined hands to his lips. His own cheeks were wet with tears that had flowed as he listened to his beloved. He gently kissed each knuckle.

“You’ll never lose me, my Love. I won’t allow anything to ever separate us again, okay?”

Dark eyes met light as Mitchell finally smiled. He leaned in to kiss the lips of the man he loved more than anything, knowing that it would just be the first of many.


End file.
